STORY
The Defence Science and Technology Laboratory has announced the UK’s first successful download of data from space using a deployable laser communications ground station, in a development intended to improve the speed and security of military communications. The trial was carried out by Archangel Lightworks for Dstl and involved data being downloaded from a satellite in low Earth orbit to an optical ground station in the Mediterranean region.
During a 90-second satellite pass, the system downloaded many gigabytes of data using free space optical communications, which transmits information through very low-power, non-visible light rather than radio waves. The Government said the technology could be particularly important for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations, where large volumes of information need to be moved quickly and securely.
Luke Pollard, the Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry, said space was crucial to the way the armed forces communicate and that laser communications would increase how quickly and securely satellites could communicate with bases on Earth. Dstl said the work could support several Ministry of Defence capability areas, including the UK’s digital targeting web, and could also be interoperable with the US Space Development Agency standard.